Ex-Daejeon man Alvaro Silva has popped in Vietnam. He scored on his Ha Noi FC debut in a 3-2 home win versus Quang Ninh. He's currently the third foreigner in a league where only two are allowed, but with fellow new signing Moses Oloya away at the AFCON for a few weeks and a debut goal and decent performance, he'll be hopeful of plenty of game time.

News of Korean footballer Kwon Kyung-won's transfer from Al Ahli in the United Arab Emirates to Tianjin Quanjian in the Chinese Super League surprised fans here on Monday.

The transfer fee agreed between the two clubs is reportedly US$11 million and his salary will be US$3 million a year. This is the second highest transfer fee ever for a Korean footballer after Son Heung-min, when he transferred from Bayer Leverkusen to Tottenham Hotspur for 22 million pounds, which was around W40 billion at the time, in 2015 (US$1=W1,209).

Now retired Park Ji-sung transferred from Manchester United to Queens Park Rangers for W8.8 billion in 2012. And Swansea City paid some W10.6 billion to Scottish club Celtic to acquire Ki Sung-yeung in the same year.

Kwon has never played on the Olympic or the national team and is relatively unknown to ordinary fans who do not keenly follow the Middle Eastern football leagues.

He played in 20 matches in his professional rookie year with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the K-League in 2013, but only played five matches in his second year. His breakthrough came in late 2014 when he joined his club training for the next season in the UAE. He was spotted by Al Ahli's coach Cosmin Olăroiu, who saw the potential of the 189-cm left-footed player to serve as both a defensive midfielder and center back and approached him with an offer.

Al Ahli offered Kwon a large six-bedroom mansion with a private pool overlooking the beach to live with his family, and Kwon proved the club was right with an excellent season. He played nearly every minute of every match and led the team to a second-place finish in the Asian Football Confederation Champions League in 2015, scoring the game-winning goal in a semifinal to lift the team to the final.

Kwon spent two seasons with Al Ahli, which won the Arabian Gulf League in the last season and is at the top tier in the current season. His performance with Al Ahli grabbed the attention of a number of Chinese clubs who have a keen interest in Korean defenders.

Kwon hopes that his decision to go to China on a big deal will propel his career further and one day he will be selected to the Korean national team.

In Yangju, if your cabbage doesn't understand you and you have valid reason for not eating it, then it is ok to go to other vegetables for your kimchi - though strictly nothing from south of Namyangju. -- Martyrs Forever

Paartalu's football life has been in a state of some upheaval since exiting Melbourne City midway through a four-year contract to join Korean heavyweight Jeonbuk Motors this time last year.

After a promising start he was mysteriously banished to oblivion and forced to train alone before negotiating a release after six months, pending his move to Qatar where, despite playing regularly, the club failed to fulfill their financial obligations, and he was on his way again after just three months.

After his nightmare in Korea, Paartalu believes there is unfinished business in the K-League and would welcome another shot.

"Things didn't work out there ... I think I was made the scapegoat for a Champions League loss in Vietnam," he said.

"After that the coach didn't speak to me again and I didn't train with the first team again. I trained by myself for months and the club simply wanted to push me out.

"I still, though, want to go back to Korea and show that I am a player."

One time (alleged) CV-faking Yugoslav former Daewoo Royals import Nebojsa Vucicevic has had a couple of jobs since we last checked in on him - his recent five month stint at Ethiopian League side Ethiopian Coffee FC came to an end at the beginning of January when he was sacked for a series of poor results. He's now taken up the reigns at FK Novi Pazar, a side he managed briefly back in Serbia in 2013. Looks like he's got a bit of a job on his hands as they're rooted to the bottom of the Serbian top tier and staring relegation in the face..

Martin Rennie doesn't seem to have found himself gainful employment since leaving the Ferrets, Brian Irvine has...

“When I returned rom South Korea, where I had been coaching at Seoul E-Land under Martin Rennie, last year no opportunities came up,” he said. “I was 51 and I realised that was my involvement with football done. It was hard to take, but I just had to accept it and be positive.

“So I started looking for a job. I was working a zero hours contract with Action for Children, the charity I was working for before I went out to Korea, and applied to join the police. Fortunately, after a lengthy process, I got in.

“I must be one of the oldest recruits. It is more of a young man or young lady’s profession. I am 52 next month. It is unusual for somebody of my age. It is new ground for me and for the police. I am finding it challenging, but I am enjoying it.”

Holyjoe wrote:Martin Rennie doesn't seem to have found himself gainful employment since leaving the Ferrets, Brian Irvine has...

So Alex Ferguson found out what all his players were up to by spying on them at Pittodrie, and now the man who learnt a lot from Fergie got a job for the police?

“Fergie was like a detective when he was a manager,” he said after finishing a shift at Queen Street station in Aberdeen city centre last week. “He would find out about what all his players were doing and how they were getting on from all of his contacts, from his sources. But I am one of many people with a great deal to thank him for because of that."

When he's not playing in the eighth-tier of English football, he's winning World Cups for England.

Former Busan I'cons striker Jamie Cureton laced up for the Veterans World Cup in Thailand, which they successfully retained. Cureton scored in all four of England's matches: their opening 7-0 win over the USA, both goals in a 2-1 over New Zealand in the quarter-finals, twice in a 6-1 win over Australia, and finally once in the 2-0 win over Iran in the final.

No doubt clubs in England's sixth division will be lining up for his services.

Cureton got a mention on some of the BBC 5 Live sports bulletins the other day as he scored for Farnborough recently and that has now meant that he has played for and scored in each of the top eight divisions of English football. They weren't 100% sure if he's the first person ever to have done that but it's rather likely he is.

Not strictly after the K-League, more after the Korean national team, but Uli Stielike got himself a new gig as boss of relegation-threatened Tianjin Teda earlier this month. Hasn't taken long for them to end up mired in controversy...

The Chinese Football Association (CFA) has launched an investigation into Tianjin Teda's 4-1 Chinese Super League win over Tianjin Quanjian on Saturday, promising to "implement regulations strictly" if any impropriety is found.

The result hauled struggling Teda out of the relegation zone and into 14th place in the 16-team league, with the bottom two teams dropping into the second division at the end of the season.

"Following tip-offs and received reports, the Chinese Football Association has started an investigation into the CSL Round 26 game between Tianjin Teda and Tianjin Quanjian," the CFA said in a statement.

"A task force composed of the CFA's competition department, legal department, the commission of morality and fair play and the disciplinary committee will look into the case and gather evidence.

"The CFA will implement its regulations strictly if any anti-disciplinary activities are found."

The result denied Quanjian, coached by Italian World Cup-winning defender Fabio Cannavaro, the opportunity to move into third place and close in on a spot in next year's Asian Champions League.

Teda have struggled despite the acquisition of John Mikel Obi from Chelsea in January and remain deep in relegation trouble with 19 points from 26 games.